The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of spinal cord ischemia on tissue concentration of the biogenic amines serotonin in norepinephrine, and to correlate any changes with pathological appearances of tissues and the neurological status of the animals. The animal models previously used for the study of focal central nervous tissue ischemia have been difficult to control and reproducibility has been poor. We have established a rabbit spinal cord infarction model that appears to be superior to all previously described methods in terms of reproducibility. Furthermore, the patterns of neurological deficits that can be reproduced with this model appear to closely simulate the most common problems that occur in humans suffering cerebral ischemia. We have therefore developed a method that appears to be very useful for detailed biochemical, pathological, and physiological studies of the pathophysiology of stroke and related phenomena.